


Falling in Love

by avalonroses



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 16:37:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5463590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avalonroses/pseuds/avalonroses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Tis the season and all Alfred wants to do is deck the cute omega upstairs' halls. The only problem is that Alfred can't pluck up the courage to ask Arthur out, despite the alpha pining for months.</p><p>Will Christmas come early and give Alfred a chance to finally make a move on Arthur?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling in Love

_Just ask him._ __

Alfred’s lips parted, woozy anticipation dancing in his throat, and the alpha knew _that this was it._ This was finally it; he was going to ask Arthur out on a date.

He, Alfred F. Jones, after six months of hesitating and bumbling, was going to ask out Arthur Kirkland, the too-cute-to-be-true omega that had moved into the apartment above him half a year ago.

 _Just_ freaking _ask him!_

As Arthur wobbled up a flight of stairs with more boxes than he could manage, flushed prettily from the exertion, biting his lip in concentration and his fair hair splayed across his head in what Alfred often pictured as Arthur’s ‘just fucked’ hair, Alfred decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up on.

“Hey! You want some help with those boxes?” the alpha exclaimed, smile blinding with its overenthusiasm.

The outcome of his animated offer of help, however, was quick to cast shadows over his sunny mood, disappointment and embarrassment dampening his smile. Because, rather than Arthur gratefully accepting Alfred’s offer, the omega then proceeding to marvel at Alfred’s strength and inviting him into his apartment for coffee as a thank you, which would of course progress into activities that involved nudity and rigorous movement, Alfred had instead startled Arthur.

Alfred watched on, dread sloshing in his belly, as Arthur stumbled on the last step and he clattered to the floor, sending the boxes he’d haphazardly stacked on the crook of his arm soaring out in a disarray of directions. And, judging by the medley of clunks and chimes that accompanied their landings, the contents of the boxes had been breakable.

“ _Shit_ —! Artie, I’m sorry!”

The alpha flailed into action, crouching beside Arthur to give him a hand. Alfred had an unfortunate habit of underestimating his strength, or overestimating the strength of those around him, and with his brain scrambled in the addling concoction of mortification, he lifted Arthur on to his feet as though he was a football to be slung and the two of them went cartwheeling into the wall behind them.

Air wheezed out of Arthur and his eyes roamed around, filmed with bafflement, until those eyes met Alfred’s and they sparked with comprehension, lustrous green pinning Alfred with realisation.

“You _muppet,_ ” Arthur said, his voice stinging like the crack of a whip. “What on earth was all that about? Do you have any clue how sodding expensive all those lights were?!”

“Oh man, they were Christmas lights? I— I didn’t know… I wanted to help…”

Arthur’s big-ass eyebrows—because they were _big-ass_ —drew together in a wrathful scowl.

Oh boy, he was miffed.

“Well, bravo, you did a marvellous job.”

Something occurred to the omega, Alfred couldn’t tell what, but it was enough for his anger to fizzle out as his gaze flicked between him and Alfred, bashfulness staining his cheeks ruddy.

Although his behaviour was pretty adorable, Alfred didn’t understand what was going on until Arthur motioned his hand in the space between his and Alfred’s body.

“Could you— I can’t… move—”

In an instant, as if scalded, Alfred’s hands jumped from the wall where he had unwittingly trapped Arthur in his arms.

“Oh, yeah,” the alpha said, staggering on his words. “Didn’t want you to fall over again!”

“Hm. And whose fault was it the first time?” Arthur questioned in a sharp tone, but the look he threw over his shoulder was all soft and coquettish.

And that look was precisely why Alfred had battled with gathering the courage to make a move on Arthur.

The guy was impossible to read.

Even Arthur’s enthralling scent, infused with the cosiness of roasting chestnuts and hot cocoa and freshly fallen leaves, and, obviously, the spice of omega fertility, hadn’t tipped off Alfred as to whether Arthur reciprocated Alfred’s attraction.

Arthur was a grumpy asshole most of the time; but, there had been a fair few instances of what could only be labelled as flirting. Lingering looks and coy glances and even _smiles_ had been known to occur but it never lasted, Arthur always reverted back to his ‘cranky old man’ setting, even if he was in his mid-twenties.

One thing was for sure, Arthur Kirkland was one complicated omega.

But he drove Alfred damn crazy, in every sense of the word.

“I’ll get those for you.”

Bounding over to the omega, Alfred grabbed the box of Christmas lights out of Arthur’s hands and collected the rest of the boxes, supporting their weight with an ease that brought a flat expression to Arthur’s face.

“I am capable of carrying them myself,” the omega retorted.

“I know,” Alfred said, grinning and undaunted. As not to wound Arthur’s alpha-like pride, Alfred added, “It’ll be easier for you to open your door if I carry them.”

Arthur appeared sceptical for all but a minute before he nodded and muttered a, “Very well.”

Alfred preened with giddiness, as if he were a puppy who had been praised by his owner—it was a small victory after all—and he followed after Arthur, struggling to keep his cool upon the realisation that he might actually get to go _inside_ Arthur’s apartment.

They reached Arthur’s floor and the omega opened up his door for Alfred, a strange, nervous gleam in his stare.

Alfred didn’t know what he expected, but Arthur’s apartment wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

It was densely perfumed with his scent, uninterrupted by an alpha’s smell which Alfred happily filed away in his mind, and the atmosphere was serene, homely, and with every surface littered with open books and scruffily knitted throws and bunches of wildflowers, it was unmistakably _Arthur._

Alfred thoughts snuck into an inappropriate direction—wondering what Arthur’s bedroom was like. The layout of the apartment was a replica of Alfred’s which meant, as the alpha had always suspected, Arthur’s bedroom was above his which also meant, despite Alfred’s hopes that he might have been able to overhear Arthur when he was gripped by his heats, the building’s walls were lamentably thick.

Or Arthur was really quiet but somehow, Alfred seriously doubted that.

“My apologies for the mess,” Arthur said, a distinct aura of discomfort about him. His eyes were scanning back and forth over the space as if to ensure there wasn’t anything incriminating on display. “You can just leave them beside the sofa.” He gestured to the Christmas lights.

The alpha did as he was instructed, frowning when he spotted the label on the boxes.

“You know these are outdoor lights… right?”

Living an apartment meant that a garden was limited to potted plants and floral print curtains (Arthur had both). His and Arthur’s apartment had balconies but they weren’t wide enough to fit any sort of garden furniture.

Alfred hoped it wasn’t Arthur’s intention to twine the lights around the balcony fence because that would be _plain stupid._

“Yes, thank you, I can read,” the omega barbed. “They’re going out on the balcony.”

_Well, shit._

While putting lights out on the balcony was madness, Alfred sensed another opportunity.

“You probably shouldn’t go out there by yourself.” Alfred smiled. “I can help!”

The alpha was pleasantly surprised to hear Arthur concede with a:

“I suppose it is rather icy out there…”

Unwinding his scarf from his neck and shaking off his jacket, Arthur hung the clothing on the coat stand behind him. God, Alfred had imagined what was underneath his frumpy sweater vests and starched shirts more times than he cared to admit.

“If you’re sure? You are by no means obliged to stay if you have other commitments,” Arthur commented.

“Nah, it’s a Sunday—I usually spend the day procrastinating anyway.”

Arthur didn’t smile; rather his lips curved almost imperceptibly at the corners but Alfred savoured the omega’s rare admission of appreciation. When he nodded in reply, his expression sobered.

“Shall we get right to it then?” the omega prompted, hands on his hips, sounding as though he was propositioning Alfred rather than hanging lights on the balcony and _Jesus Christ,_ was Alfred really getting hot under the collar from a simple question?

“Yeah! Let’s, uh, get to it.”

Emptying the lights from their boxes, the two of them began unravelling the tangled wires, occasionally stilling and pointedly looking away from each other when their hands inadvertently touched. Alfred repeatedly breathed in a deep inhalations of air, mentally preparing as he imagined himself asking Arthur out with tormenting vividness but never able to actually get the words out.

“All done,” Alfred announced once they’d tested the lights and they were all okay to be displayed.

The alpha grabbed the lights as Arthur opened the glass door on to his balcony and stepped outside into the bite of frosty air. He shivered, and Alfred could detect the affect the cold had on Arthur, but the omega peered back at Alfred as if to warn him not to mention anything about his body’s inability to withstand cool temperatures.

“You want these around the railing then?” Alfred guessed.

“Some of them, yes.”

To Alfred’s horror, Arthur clambered up on the railing, pulling his body up using the wall, and standing on the strip of metal that was all between him and the hard, gravelled floor three stories below him.

The alpha flailed.

It was instinctual. An omega was in danger. He was an alpha. He was helpless to the reflex of diving forward and wrapping his arms around Arthur’s legs, trying to get him off of the railing.

“Jesus, Arthur! What the hell are you doing?!”

The omega thrashed, pushing himself forward to lean against the wall, and he made a high-pitched, bird-like sound that would have made Alfred laugh had Arthur not just lost his damn mind.

“ _What_ —Alfred, let go of me!”

“Not until you get down!” Alfred protested, his voice frazzled.

“ _Alfred_.” He said the alpha’s name as though he was a teacher admonishing a student. “I’m going to hang these lights over the doorframe and then I’ll come down. Now, if you would kindly _let go.”_

“I’ll do it—”

“I _can_ do it,” the omega interrupted, eyes burning into Alfred, vibrant and heated, and Alfred knew without trying that this was an argument he had no chance of winning.

“I’ll spot you then,” the alpha stated, a hint of alpha authority creeping into his tone. He wouldn’t let Arthur fight him on this. “If you feel like you’re going to fall, tell me.” And then, because he still didn’t like this _at all_ , he muttered, “This is so freaking dangerous.”

“Fine,” the omega allowed, puffing up like a little robin fluffing its feathers defensively. “But I assure you that isn’t necessary.”

“Sure feels necessary, Artie.”

Grumbling something under unsavoury his breath, Arthur requested Alfred pass up some of the lights, which the Alfred did hurriedly, unwilling to leave the omega’s side for more than a moment.

It didn’t take long, _thank god,_ but Alfred’s stomach twisted and rolled as though he was constantly at the precipice of a drop on a rollercoaster, watching anxiously as Arthur leant over the doorframe to place the row of lights over the top.

“Okay, that looks great, let’s get you down now!” Alfred blurted, holding his arms out as if prompting Arthur to launch himself into them.

Unfortunately, for the second time that day, Alfred caught Arthur off guard and the omega wobbled on the metal railing, his hands whirling as he tried to grab hold of something to steady him.

Alfred jerked forward for Arthur, his arms clasping around the omega’s thighs, and once he had a firm grip of the smaller man, Alfred pulled him forward and off the railing, holding the omega tight in his arms and unwilling to let go or even set him on the ground.

“Um… Alfred…,” Arthur said, a tad breathless and embarrassment staining his voice.

“I got you, don’t worry,” he replied, squeezing Arthur closer.

“Yes, I realise that, it’s just—”

The omega shuffled, stalling on his own words, and it finally dawned on Alfred that most of Arthur’s weight was _above_ his head which meant that his face wasn’t pressed against the omega’s chest as he had first suspected… no, his face was against Arthur’s crotch.

He dropped Arthur and the omega landed on his feet rather inelegantly, obviously reeling from the abrupt landing.

Alfred’s face glowed red, hot as lava, which would have been perfect because he could melt away through the floor and sink right into the ground, never having to face Arthur again—not after shoving his head _between the omega’s legs._

As it was, they were both trapped in each other’s company, standing stiff and fidgety opposite each other, bursts of condensation from their breathing pouring out into the surrounding air.

“Sorry,” Alfred mumbled, his gaze glued to his feet. “I didn’t mean to… do that…”

“It’s alright,” Arthur returned, clipped and timid. “Thank you for catching me.”

The silence that stretched out between them was excruciatingly painful, unbearable, and every muscle and instinct that Alfred possessed was screaming for him to flee.

Arthur sighed and apprehension swirled about in his scent, seasoning the lingering embarrassment.

“This didn’t go exactly as I had planned,” the omega confessed.

Alfred’s eyes shot up, focusing on the crimson-faced omega.

“You… planned this? Me helping you?”

“Of course I did!”

The indignant outburst took Alfred aback, his head emptying of all sensible thought—not that there was ever much to start with when it came to Arthur.

“Do you honestly think I’d fuss about with these infernal Christmas lights if I hadn’t known you would offer to help me with them?” If Arthur’s cheeks weren’t radiating brighter than the Christmas lights he was referring to, Alfred would have thought he was genuinely mad. “Why are all you alphas so bloody thick?”

When Alfred didn’t respond, in such an acute state of shellshock that he’d lost the ability to produce sound, Arthur folded his arms crossly, enraged by his own vulnerability and Alfred’s unresponsiveness.

“Oh, forget it! You clearly had no intention of ever…,” Arthur cut himself off, his voice cracking with emotion, bringing him to the cusp of tears. “But I’ll have you know, it is cruel and ungentlemanly of an alpha to lead an omega on, and don’t think we’ll be on speaking terms—!”

Alfred snatched the end of Arthur’s wounded scolding by pressing his lips to the omega’s, hugging the smaller man close to his body and kissing him _hard,_ feverishly, overflowing with effervescent, encompassing _affection_ for the little omega.

“I wanna court you,” Alfred declared after breaking the kiss, struggling to catch his breath. “I know I should have asked you on a date first—I kept meaning to, I promise—but screw dates, I want to court you.” Hurriedly, Alfred tacked on, “If you’ll let me.”

Arthur was trying to frown, Alfred could tell by the way the space between his brows had creased, but his expression was an endearing fusion of relief and disbelief.

“Why didn’t you ask me six months ago like a _normal alpha?_ I thought you might not… want me.”

Alfred grinned, goofy and apologetic.

“Oh, I want you, trust me,” the alpha assured with a touch of heat and promise. “And I was going to ask you, I was just— taking my time. Wanted it to be the perfect moment and stuff…”

“You are aware this is the utter opposite of the ‘perfect moment’?” Arthur questioned, one eyebrow arched.

“Guess I’ll have to up my game when I ask you to be my mate then, huh?” Alfred responded, emboldened. And it paid off because he was rewarded with Arthur’s pretty blush and his shy, diverted eyes.

“I suppose so,” Arthur conceded.

They never managed to finish putting up the Christmas lights.

**Author's Note:**

> For the USUK Network Winter Wonderland Week 2015.
> 
> Thanks to [snowyfoxpaws](http://archiveofourown.org/users/snowyfoxpaws/pseuds/snowyfoxpaws) for helping me with the summary and the title!


End file.
